The Utah State Aggies might have bitten off a lot more than they can chew when they face-off against the 10th ranked Wisconsin Badgers to open their season. The game will be played in Madison, Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium on Friday, September 1st at 9:00 p.m. EST. The contest can be seen on the ESPN Network. As of now, the Badgers are heavy -27.5 point favorites and the over/under sits at 48.5.
The toughest game of the season for the Aggies comes on opening day against the Wisconsin Badgers. In 2012, Utah State nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets in school history against the Badgers. Things will be a lot different this time around.
The Aggies are coming off a 3-9 season, but the team is hopeful that a turnaround is in the cards. The match-up against Wisconsin will give them a chance to see what needs the team has to address. It also could allow some players getting valuable experience further down on the depth chart.
The Wisconsin Badgers came up just shy of a Big Ten Championship last season. Although they fell short, they impressed throughout the whole year. First off, the Badgers upset fifth ranked LSU at Lambeau Field in Week One.
They also gave the Ohio State Buckeyes all they could handle, losing in overtime 23-20. Lastly, they lost a hard fought defensive battle to the Michigan wolverines 14-7. Now, Wisconsin will be looking to build off of last season’s success and make another run at the College Football Playoff.
Utah State Aggies
At quarterback, returning starter Kent Myers will once again be asked to lead the Utah state offense with his arm and his feet. Last season, Myers threw for almost 2,400 yards with 10 touchdowns and seven picks. The underrated runner also scrambled for an extra 400 yards and three touchdowns. He will have to have his head on a swivel in 2017, as the Aggies lost three All-Mountain West starting linemen.
Utah State rushed for more than 2,000 yards again in 2016. That was good for a team-high eighth straight season. Running back Tonny Lindsey Jr. filled in nicely for injured starter Devante Mays. Throughout the year, he carried the ball over 150 times and rushed for 763 yards.
All-league tight end Wyatt Houston is gone. His 36 catches for over 330 yards will be missed. He was Kent Myers’ favorite target on third downs. Now, wide receiver duo Ron’Quavion Tarver and Rayshad Lewis will be asked to carry the load in the pass game.
Together, the two combined for five touchdowns last season. Tarver recorded 46 catches for over 600 yards. Lewis pitched-in with another 40 catches for 469 more. Both receivers will be back for the opener against the Badgers.
Like the trenches on offense, the Aggies’ defense is going through some rebuilding up front. Three of Utah State’s starters have departed, along with two starting linebackers. In fact, the top three tacklers from a year ago have graduated.
Fortunately, the secondary is intact. Aggies safety Dallin Leavitt will be roaming the middle and supporting the run-stop. He is the leading tackler back with 57 and also led the team in interceptions with three. Also, Cornerback Jalen Davis who started all 35 games he has played in returns.
(10) Wisconsin Badgers
For Wisconsin’s offense, quarterback Alex Hornibrook will have to be much more consistent if the Badgers hope to win the BIG-10 in 2017. Last season, Hornibrook tossed almost as many interceptions as touchdowns. As a whole, the signal-caller threw for 1,262 yards with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. Yes, Wisconsin is a running team, but numbers like that won’t help keep opposing defenses honest.
Like mentioned above, the Badgers will once again look to wear teams down by running the football straight at them. In steps running backs Bradrick Shaw and Chris James. Shaw averaged 5.2 yards per carry in limited action last season. James, a transfer from Pittsburgh, gives Wisconsin a speedy option out of the backfield.
Wisconsin ranked 39th nationally in rushing offense last season. While that production wasn’t up to their typical standards, it will be up to the two new performers to improve upon those numbers.
At wide out, the Badgers will look to Jazz Peavy and tight end Troy Fumagalli to keep things moving via the air. Peavy was solid in 2017, racking up over 43 catches for 635 yards and five scores. Fumagalli was also good, catching another 47 balls for 480 yards and two more touchdowns.
Outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Vince Biegel are gone. Watt, had 15.5 tackles for a loss and 11.5 sacks as a junior. The stellar player left early for the NFL Draft. The good news is, the rest of the Badgers front seven return. Wisconsin has a lot of experience at the front of their 3-4 defense. Unfortunately, inside linebacker Jack Cichy is already out for the season with a knee injury.
Prediction
Utah State will be a better ball club in 2017. Kent Myers has another season of experience under his belt and the defense can keep teams honest because of their strong secondary play. That alone will pay dividends against a Badger team that struggles to throw the ball effectively.
Wisconsin will look to pound the football at the Aggies re-built defensive front. Two unproven backs will be asked to carry on the running tradition in Madison. Both are talented enough to get the offense moving in the right direction. On the other side of the ball, the Badgers suffered a key loss at linebacker. Jack Cichy was good. That’ll hurt.
Las Vegas has the Badgers as a healthy 27.5 point favorites. I believe that is too much for a one dimensional club on opening day. The Aggies will find enough ways to score to keep Wisconsin from covering the larger spread. I don’t expect a lot of points here either, but the 47.5 is too low to play. Wisconsin gets the job done 27-13 on September 1st in Madison.
Trends
The Aggies are 3-14 ATS in their last 17 games overall.
The Aggies are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games.
The Under is 4-1 in the Aggies last 5 non-conference games.
The Over is 5-2 in the Aggies last 7 games overall.
The Badgers are 11-4-1 ATS in their last 16 games overall.
The Badgers are 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 home games.
The Over is 4-1 in the Badgers last 5 games overall.
The Under is 7-2 in the Badgers last 9 vs. MWC.
